POLYPROBLEM-REPORT: Straws on Trial
POLYPROBLEM Report of the Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense Straws on Trial Bans on single-use plastic items such as plastic bags and straws lead both to a noticeable reduction in littering of streets and beaches and to more intensive public discussion about sustainable consumption. The total amount of plastic waste, on the other hand, cannot be significantly reduced with so-called "plastic bans." This is the conclusion reached by the POLYPROBLEM report published by the non-profit Röchling Foundation and the consultancy Wider Sense in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Energy, Environment. Titled "Straws on Trial," the team of authors took a close look at the effect of government bans on single-use plastic products. "Whether bans on certain products and their use are appropriate for addressing global ecological crises is a controversial question of principle. We wanted to know whether the effects go beyond a symbolic impact," says Uwe Amrhein, foundation manager at the Röchling Foundation, outlining the objective. To this end, the team of authors conducted research on three continents - in Kenya, California, and Germany - and developed case studies from discussions with experts. Bans on certain single-use plastic articles have been in place for many years in most [...]